The Chieftains will open the 2015-16 season with a new coach, as Matt Frost begins his first year leading THS. It also will be Frost’s first game as high school head varsity coach, as he has spent several years at various positions coaching in Lawrence.

Tonganoxie returns most of a squad that finished 7-15 last year and one step from the state tournament after losing to Piper in a Class 4A Division I substate championship game. That loss came after THS upset the substate’s top seed in Sumner Academy.

Lost to graduation are Tressa Walker, Sarah Ahart and Sophia Breedlove. Walker and Ahart provided solid scoring last year, so the Chieftains must replace those contributions.

“We don’t have a lot of size,” Frost said. “The size we do have, doesn’t have a ton of experience and no big-time scorer.”

Though THS must replace Walker in its backcourt, the Chieftains do return senior Kaitlin Hall in the backcourt.

“I think Kailtin Hall is going to have a big year and I think Mackenzie Price is going to have a much better year than she did last year,” Frost said. “I think she’s going to score more. We’re kind of hoping for some things out of the younger ones.”

Hall and Price join Cheyenne Ford and Emily Eberth as returning seniors. Lauren Jackson, another senior, also returns to the roster after not playing the last couple years.

“They’re all real good kids and they want to do well and they want to work hard,” Frost said. “They’re trying to learn some things on the fly.

“It’s been a good experience so far. I hope we can have some success so they, the seniors, can experience that before they leave.”

Frost has 21 players out this season. Along with his five seniors, there are three juniors, four sophomores and nine freshmen.

Other players who could be strong contributors coming out of the preseason are junior Taylor Lee and sophomore Lauren Willson.

With a lack of size on this year’s roster, the Chieftains will have to excel in other areas.

“We’re going to have to rely on defense and trying to take care of the ball,” Frost said. “That’s going to have to be how we do it and we’ll see if we can.”

A 1997 Shawnee Heights High School graduate in Topeka, Frost earned a bachelor’s in 2004 from Kansas State University. He coached 11 years in Lawrence, four at West Junior High and then seven at Free State High School. Frost coached sophomore and junior varsity while at FSHS and also was a varsity assistant.

His assistant coaches are Jodie Smith and Kelly Wigley. Frost replaces David Hall, who was head coach last year before stepping down. He was an assistant under Randy Kraft before that and coached several years before that as Piper’s head boys basketball coach. He’s also Kaitlin Hall’s father. Frost said he’s getting more familiar with teams in the Kaw Valley League, with David Hall filling him in on some of those squads.

Tonganoxie is coming off a fall season in which both cross country and volleyball squads advanced to state. Several players participated on those teams in the fall, so Frost hopes the Chieftains can continue that momentum on the court.

“A couple kids are really good cross country runners and several kids are from the volleyball team and I’m hoping that bleeds over,” Frost said. “Them experiencing some winning carries over.

“It can’t hurt, that’s for sure.”